Vladimir Putin has given the order to the special commission to lead an audit of cultural values in Russian museums, on the initiative of the president, reports RIA "Novosti", referring to the first vice-premier Dmitry Medvedev. The commission should include representatives of the Ministry of culture, FSB, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Office of Public Prosecutor and other enforcement authorities. The revision committee

is created in connection with the large plunders revealed recently from the State Hermitage and the Russian state archive of the literature and art (RSALA). Experts are already comparing this commission to the investigation of jewellery and art items stolen from the Hermitage. Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the State Office of Public Prosecutor has generated a special investigatory-operative group.

Both Islamic and Christian religious movements are trying to convince their followers not to attend the show of pop star Madonna which would take place at 11th of September in Moscow. Leaders of both faiths came out with negative statements regarding the future show. "I think that the Islamic followers won't support Madonna's show and it won't

get the success they expected", admitted Gizzatulin one of the Islamic leaders of Russia. It has been expected that around 35 000 people would visit the show, the prices for tickets start at $55 and go as high as $1100. Today, the 8th of August, the sale of tickets started and people stood in lines trying to get a ticket.

In Kaliningrad, they are planning to make a monument of a Baltic Sprats tin can (like on the picture below) . As "Radio Baltics" has reported, it appears a giant bronze tin is to be built in downtown Mamonovo. As people from the local government say: "Such a monument should

commemorate the fact that the most tasty sprats in tin cans are being produced in this city". The construction of the monument would cost approximately 5 000 EUR (around $6900), and probably would be collected from the volunteers who like the sprats.

August 1, at Nizhny Tagil, around 35 stone tombs and a few crosses in the city cemetery were destroyed. Police arrested a 20 year old person. He has already confessed that he was guilty in this crime. Occult and satanic literature was found at his house. The arrested person was working in one of the retail shops in the city, and

detectives assume that there would be more people involved in the cemetery vandalism. The young man calls himself a satanic cult follower (satanist) and says that he destroyed the tombs because he hates all the things connected with Christianity. That's why the broken crosses were put back in the ground up side down.

A man from Logmozero, Karelia (North-West Russia), has used a 25 kg (57 lbs) aviation bomb from World War II as an anchor for his boat. His neighbours have contacted the police because they were scared of the possibility of being blown up accidentally. Police had to evacuate people from four houses situated nearby. The source from the Rescue Service, said that the bomb posed a real threat

for people living in that village. If it explodes, the splinters can fly for over 500 metres (1600 ft.) from the epicenter. After the inspection, experts said that the bomb was in a working state and could be triggered by sudden actions. Instead of the detonator, there was a metal hook hammered in the bomb by the owner. He tied an anchor chain to this hook.